InnEA's technological innovations

This document aims to summarize the InnEA's technological innovations in the field of biogas/bio-methane production and underline main differences versus the standard technology of the competitors in the Italian market.

The 13 differentiating features are described below:

1. Digestion: The advantage of operating in mesophilic stage compared to the thermophilic stage consists in managing a simplified digestion process and reducing the disintegration time of organic substance;
2. Pre-treatment: There are multiple benefits of having a hydrolyser stage of the digestive process:
   1. Greater efficiency in the use of organic materials, especially in the presence of components of cellulose;
   2. Through a lower PH there is an abatement of the bacteriological component which improves the digestive process;
   3. Keep storage of the raw material already predigested that can enter directly in the digestive process by improving considerably the response times;
3. Treatment: The dual stage system allows a better bio digestion by increasing by at least a 15% the biogas production;
4. Heating: The heating system is of a conventional type, but equipped with control systems related to the parameters measured in the pre-treatment and treatment stages;
5. Agitation Systems: Systems of external agitation can be maintained without stopping the digestive process and the integration within the control system is designed to increase the production flexibility of the plant;
6. Systems of video inspection: In addition to a chemical and physical control of the digestion parameters through electronic probes, within the stages of treatment and pre-treatment, there are cameras that allow a visual control of the digestive process;
7. Biogas storage: Use of the gasometer (much less amount of gas storage than a dome) has the dual advantage of increasing the responsiveness time of the system and to simplify the administrative procedures for the management of the gas storage;
8. Maintenance systems: The presence of inspection doors improves the system maintenance;
9. Construction methods digesters: There are many advantages of having the blocks made of steel instead of concrete:
   1. Life span;
   2. Sealing and reliability;
   3. Building material recycling (steel can be recycled at premium instead of the concrete cost of disposal);
10. Matrix power plant: A flexible and variable matrix allow the recipe to be adapted to the biological variation of the environment;
11. Type construction piping: The advantage of having a stronger mechanical resistance and a longer duration;
12. Pumping system: A pumping system redundancy can reduce production stops and allow a better maintenance program;
13. Recirculation organic: The advantage of having a recirculation system between the primary and secondary digester allows to vary the speed of the fermentation process and to fully exploit the organic matter fed.